What's New
Environment California has begun building a coalition in support of investing in global warming solutions that will kick our dependence on fossil fuels and make California a leader in clean energy technologies.
Download our factsheet on investing in global warming solutions.
Also, you can read Cleaner, Cheaper, Smarter, our report on why polluters should pay for their global warming pollution in a cap-and-trade program.
Summary
The scientific consensus is in and public awareness is on
the rise—it’s time to tackle global warming head on. From dangerous heat waves
and shrinking snowpack, to intense winter storms and increased summer smog, California will suffer
irreversible consequences unless we reduce the amount of global warming
pollution we emit.
The simple truth is that solving global warming means
kicking our dependence on fossil fuels. Unfortunately, the combustion of fossil
fuels—oil, gas and coal—accounts for 88 percent of California’s global warming pollution. Furthermore,
California is
the 12th largest source of global warming pollution in the world.
With global warming threatening our future, energy prices
surging, and war raging in the Middle East, we
need to change course now and move beyond fossil fuels.
Investing in
solutions to global warming
It’s time for California
to make a large, long-term investment in clean energy technologies that will
solve global warming. Solar power,
high-speed trains, zero-energy homes—these are the technologies that will drive
our transition to a clean energy economy and ultimately solve the climate
crisis.
Environment California is
working to get the Schwarzenegger Administration to create a $1+ billion-a-year
Global Warming Solutions Fund to invest in solar, wind, energy efficiency and
other technologies that will put California
on a path to reducing global warming emissions by 25 percent by 2020.
Make Polluters Pay
As California leads the way
on global warming, a big challenge is to decide how to pay for investments to replace
our biggest sources of pollution. Environment
California is supporting a plan to fund clean energy by making polluters pay
for every ton of global warming pollution they emit, while continuing to push
forward with strong policies to require increased production of clean,
renewable electricity and energy efficiency.
As
the Schwarzenegger Administration considers a “cap-and-trade” program to cut
global warming pollution, Environment California is working to ensure that
polluters pay for 100% of their emissions.
“Making polluters pay is the cleanest, cheapest and smartest
way to cut global warming pollution,” said Environment California Advocate
Jason Barbose. “After decades of
government subsidies to fossil fuel industries, it’s time to level the playing
field and reward clean technology.”
Environment California
supports using revenue from polluters to:
- Invest in clean energy research
and development and the deployment of renewable energy technologies.
- Reduce costs for consumers with investments
in energy efficiency and annual rebates.
- Support
development of “green collar” jobs
through training and outreach programs.
- Support pollution reductions in California’s
most polluted communities.
